1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to magnetic transducer elements, as employed within magnetic data storage and retrieval. More particularly, the present invention relates to magnetic transducer elements fabricated with enhanced manufacturability and reliability, as employed within magnetic data storage and retrieval.
2. Description of the Related Art
The recent and continuing advances in computer and information technology have been made possible not only by the correlating advances in the functionality, reliability and speed of semiconductor integrated circuits, but also by the correlating advances in the storage density and reliability of direct access storage devices (DASDs) employed in digitally encoded magnetic data storage and retrieval.
Storage density of direct access storage devices (DASDs) is typically determined as areal storage density of a magnetic data storage medium formed upon a rotating magnetic data storage disk within a direct access storage device (DASD) magnetic data storage enclosure. The areal storage density of the magnetic data storage medium is defined largely by the track width, the track spacing and the linear magnetic domain density within the magnetic data storage medium. The track width, the track spacing and the linear magnetic domain density within the magnetic data storage medium are in turn determined by several principal factors, including but not limited to: (1) the magnetic read-write characteristics of a magnetic read-write head employed in reading and writing digitally encoded magnetic data from and into the magnetic data storage medium; (2) the magnetic domain characteristics of the magnetic data storage medium; and (3) the separation distance of the magnetic read-write head from the magnetic data storage medium.
While magnetic read-write heads are thus integral and essential within the art of magnetic data storage and retrieval, magnetic read-write heads are nonetheless not fabricated entirely without problems within the art of magnetic data storage and retrieval. In that regard, it is known in the art of magnetic data storage and retrieval that magnetic transducer elements within magnetic read-write heads, which magnetic transducer elements are typically required to be formed with uniformly controlled diminishing dimensions as areal recoding densities of magnetic data storage media increase, are often difficult to manufacturably and reliably fabricate with such requisite levels of uniformly controlled dimension.
It is thus towards the goal of providing within magnetic read-write head fabrication methods and materials which may be employed for forming with enhanced manufacturability and reliability magnetic transducer elements within magnetic read-write heads that the present invention is directed.
Various magnetic transducer elements having desirable properties, and/or methods for fabrication thereof, have been disclosed within the art of magnetic read-write head fabrication.
For example, Chen et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,308, disclose a method for forming within a magnetic transducer element, with reduced process complexity and relaxed registration alignment tolerance requirements, a stitched upper magnetic pole layer comprising: (1) an upper magnetic pole tip layer having formed partially contacting and overlapping thereupon, and aligned thereto; (2) an upper magnetic pole yoke layer. The method realizes the foregoing objects by employing when forming the stitched upper magnetic pole layer a radiation hardened portion of a photoresist masking frame employed for forming the upper magnetic pole tip layer, where the radiation hardened portion of the photoresist masking frame provides a stitching pedestal at a location adjoining an overlap of the upper magnetic pole tip layer and the upper magnetic pole yoke layer.
In addition, Ju et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,340, discloses a magnetic transducer element wherein a lower magnetic pole tip layer and an upper magnetic pole tip layer which are sandwiched between and contacting, respectively, a corresponding lower magnetic pole yoke layer and a corresponding upper magnetic pole yoke layer within the magnetic transducer element are precisely aligned with an equivalent pole tip width, and where each of the lower magnetic pole tip layer and the upper magnetic pole tip layer has a thickness closely controlled. The magnetic transducer element employs when forming the upper pole tip layer separated from the lower pole tip layer by a gap filling layer within the magnetic transducer element a single photoresist masking frame in conjunction with a sequential photoresist masking frame plating method to provide a photoresist masking frame plated composite lower magnetic pole tip layer/gap filling layer/upper magnetic pole tip layer fully areally aligned.
Further, Cole et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,164, discloses a magnetic transducer element having a narrow magnetic pole tip structure at an air bearing surface of the magnetic transducer element, as well as a well defined zero throat level at a back surface of the magnetic pole tip structure. The foregoing objects are realized, when fabricating the magnetic transducer element, by defining a pole tip structure within the magnetic transducer element prior to forming an upper pole yoke layer within the magnetic transducer element.
Finally, Cohen et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,163, discloses a magnetic transducer element having virtually eliminated therein track edge noise. The magnetic transducer element realizes the foregoing object by employing a pair of magnetic pole layers which encircle a gap filling layer within the magnetic transducer element such that no magnetic flux emanates from the corners and side edges of the magnetic pole layers within the magnetic transducer element.
Desirable within the art of magnetic head fabrication and magnetic transducer element fabrication are additional methods and materials through which there may be fabricated with enhanced manufacturability and reliability magnetic transducer elements for use within magnetic heads.
It is towards the foregoing object that the present invention is directed.